Dolores Mission in East Los Angeles has a great need for sleeping bags and blankets, men's shower sandals and hygienic supplies, and men's clothing such as: jackets, shirts, pants, socks, shoes, and underwear.     Needed too are over the counter flu and cold medications.   Canned foods are also needed, plus bags of rice, beans, sugar, coffee.    In addition, there is a need for cooking oil, condiments, etc.    Please help if you can!

Bring your donations to the Pastoral Office and leave them parallel to the handicapped ramp.    Louise Brennan will make sure these items get to Dolores Mission as soon as possible.

The "Mission Vision" of Dolores Mission is to offer a safe place to all men who are faced with the realities of homelessness.    Dolores Mission tries not only to meet immediate needs of food and shelter, but to also improve the lives of these men.     It offers educational training for the development of the "whole man" and personal integration in society.    Dolores Mission is a community creating change.    Dolores Mission is a Catholic Parish Community seeking to live-out its Baptismal commitment.

Dolores Mission is located at 171 S. Gless Street in Los Angeles.    Phone:   323 - 881 - 0032.

There are still a few families hoping to be adopted.     It is so simple to "Adopt-A-Family", and yet the impact is so profound and so significant.    All that is required, is that you Sign-Up by Calling for the name of a family, and for the names of the family members and their ages.    Then you provide one (1) to three (3) boxes of non-perishable food depending on the size of the family adopted, and also a personal gift for each family member.     The gifts should be wrapped with a card stating the person's name.

This coming Saturday, December 16th, you bring your boxes ands gifts to St. Jude's Parking Lot between 9:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m.

Please call John or Jackie Treuting at 805  495  4630 to Sign-Up or for more information.

The Respect Life Ministry is in need of women who can visit pregnant women in prison at the California Youth Authority Correctional Facility in Camarillo.

If you can help, please contact Mary Linn at 818 889  7849.

"MANNA" is another local, non-denominational agency, which helps those who are in need by distributing food.     During this Advent-Christmas Season, there is always a run on "MANNA" for help.     Please consider helping "MANNA" help others.     

All kinds of food stuffs are needed.    Please NO glass containers.    Plastic, cans and paper are fine, but no glass.     Canned vegetables and fruits, canned soups and juices, canned meats and meals, canned stews and sauces such as prepared marinara, dry meal mixes, dry cereal, pasta and noodles, rice, pancake and biscuit mixes, crackers, dry drink mixes including powdered milk.    Condiments too are needed in small plastic or paper containers such as catsup, mustard, salt, pepper, salad and cooking oil, vinegar, simple spices, peanut butter and jelly, coffee, tea and hot chocolate.

Hygienic items are also needed such as body and dish soap, personal hygiene and health care items (toothbrushes and paste, combs, deodorant, toilet paper, etc.).

In addition, baby items are needed such as disposable diapers, baby blankets, baby foods, and baby health care items.

Please bring your "MANNA" donations to church with you next Sunday.    You may also drop them by the Pastoral Center during the week.

Do remember:   NO glass containers.

The winter season is here again.    The Conejo Valley Winter Shelter Program has begun.    St. Jude's responsibility this year is to provide dinner, lunch and breakfast once a month for about 40 homeless people.     The lunches are being made this year by our Parish School Students in the 7^th and 8^th grades, and also by the "Mommy and Me" group.

Many thanks to these two groups for the especially nutritious lunches they will be making.

Volunteers are needed for the dinners and breakfasts.    Breakfast consist of juice, milk, cereal, sweet rolls and/or bagels.    The dinners are made-up of four (4) salads, four (4) desserts, four (4) vegetables, and four (4) entrees --- each large enough to feed ten (10) people.  About twenty (20) helpers are needed each month for this project.    The food is prepared at home and brought to St. Jude's and then it is transported to the host church, where the dinners are served.    Those who wish to help serve are also welcome.    We are scheduled to provide meals on the first Friday of each month for four (4) consecutive months starting in December.

Soap bars, shampoo and hair conditioner bottles, mouthwashes, given to people, as courtesies in hotels/motels are very welcome.

Those who are interested or who may have some questions about this ministry to the poor are asked to please phone Arline LaPorte at 805 - 496 - 6345.